


Static

by Experiment282



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Dreams and Nightmares, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Post-Episode: s06e19 I Am My Monster, Psychological Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:28:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28138464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Experiment282/pseuds/Experiment282
Summary: The fuzz of the brain was common. Unable to think, see, hear coherently. Dissociating, disconnected from everything as a result of the chaos. TVs losing reception; no transmission...except for the small glimpses of something, like a hole in wall that you couldn't help but poke your eye through. There's definitely something there that holds your interest.Only to see something beyond your own understanding.Connverse One Shot gift for @GamingLiamStudios
Relationships: Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Static

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GamingLiamStudios](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GamingLiamStudios/gifts).



> My gift for GamingLiamStudios for the for the 2020 Unfamiliar Familiar Bookclub's Gift Exchange. I have a bad habit of making long chapters and this one shot is no different lol. Hope you like! (Hopefully not too long)

It was a cool and crystal clear night at the Maheswaran household. Mr and Mrs Maheswaran were working their late shifts, so in the soft ambience of bright white fairy lights and scented candles of lavender, was Connie whom had been focusing on her studies. Steven on the other hand had been watching videos on her laptop. The environment beheld to them was warm and inviting...since after the... _incident_ , Steven savoured the slices of comfort in hanging with Connie at her place, more than wallowing in the loaded and tense atmosphere of the Beach House.

He'd long since fallen asleep, watching random videos on TubeTube and the pink earphones that were still in his ears. Anything to get his mind off of overthinking and to do something mindless for once, like watching weird cryptid stories and random Twine clips. If they weren't babbling nonsensically about random things, (such TubeTubers like The Storyboarder who spoke of the terror of bad writing and how to fix plots or The Glassmaker Twines since Steven loved the colours they used, especially with broken glass.) the two teens would normally talk about stuff and feelings and that would entail now that Steven was getting help, but most of those sessions could be very taxing. Connie for one, was proud that Steven had become more open, although he felt like he was obliging with what his Therapist was telling him to do. So it would worry Connie that Steven had this idea that he _had_ to talk about his feelings akin to ticking boxes, when really it was supposed to allow his emotional honesty to follow through, instead of building it up, which had been his horrible habit for as long as Connie could remember.

Alongside those kinds of changes, she noted the small details in his behaviour that had also altered on the negative. He was more exhausted for one and that while his increase of fatigue was troubling, it was an obvious sign of his depression. He was apparently told that working through with everything so far would allow that to pass, that there would be those, cold, dark puddles of sorrow that would drench his road to recovery. Those were inevitable and he would, of course, feel the need to nap. To succumb to the fog of slumber was one Connie had nearly every night, indicating that it was nearly time for bed. Though she didn't have the pleasure of watching random vids and twines for hours on end, it brought her the arms length company she came to appreciate when ever he was around. 

A single fleeting thought distracted her and so Connie stopped looking at tables and charts briefly and glimpsed at his sleeping form. Laying down on her day bed, Steven on his side and his head lazily draped on his arm. She made a silent giggle at the drool coming out of his mouth, amused. Glancing at the laptop, he was checking out some video talking about the top ten episodes of Camp Pining Hearts. Guided by a loving instinct, Connie grabbed a green sheet from underneath the bed, covered him and closed the laptop to allow him his rest. The same instinct had her linger over his head momentarily, however, she was hesitant to kiss him on the forehead, lest she wake him up accidentally. Admittedly, he was dopey, but in the cutest way. Removing the ear phones however just caused him to grunt and Connie's reaction was to almost jump...and sigh in relief when she could clearly see that he was still sleeping.

She never really watched that show, but Steven brought it up as a show he enjoyed watching with Peridot. He would used to talk about the time where they used his dreams in the attempt to make their own episodes, because the reboot itself was so awful. Connie recalled the sadness in his voice, admitting that they went too far and it ended in more horrific nightmares than anything. But it wasn't all bad; they came to appreciate it as a comedy, as opposed to a drama.

It gave a perplexed voice in her head to think of when she got the strange video messages from him on that infamous day. How it... _disturbed_ Connie on how unnatural he was and it served to remind Connie that Steven was definitely a good actor...forcing an image to the front at behest of all the obscure darkness that lurked within him, that had been there for a long while and the protective nature of his internalising could no longer be restrained; being the weakest his mental shield had ever been from years of trauma trying to break through.

Connie shivered; the image of Steven's Monster crossing her mind and the noises he made. She wasn't afraid of him...no..she was afraid _for_ him and it didn't help when Pearl made comments on worrying about a relapse, so she was more paranoid than anyone. It was actually one of the reasons why Steven decided to spend more time with Connie...or at her house. He never disturbed her and was content to just...binge watch what ever he could because, really, Connie could keep an eye on him for Pearl without her being frantic all of the time. It was still giving each other space, without being overbearing and knowing the other was there helped Connie just as much as it did for him.

Connie yawned and checked the time; 8:30. She knew it was the lavender which she only used for Stevens sake instead of her own but it still affected her on a similar basis. Yawning and stretching her arms, Connie had closed her eyes briefly and despite knowing this never worked as she intended; the way she did it was the briefest intention to have a five minute micronap that ended up with her sleeping for several hours instead. She did it...and it was like that Every. Single. _Time._

However, a slight buzz from her phone woke her up. 8:31. Huh...that was quick. Checking her phone, she could see she had a message. From Steven?

Looking at the message itself, it revealing nothing more than the TV test screening bars that came with an nasty amount of electrical static and hums that had her unexpectedly drop the phone onto the desk, where the screen went black. Her sight poked to Steven, who was still resting, thankfully. It was still enough to have her heart jump out of her chest with the suddenness. A night to be more jumpy than usual? Maybe _she_ was too paranoid after everything that had happened. If Pearl was the Queen of Paranoia; then Connie was the Princess.

Distracting her further, Connie listened to the foretold sounds of flapping that were at her open window and she saw a black bird with a green patch on its head. Furrowing her brows, Connie shifted herself to get a better look at it. It looked liked a Nightingale but she had to make sure. She unlocked her phone, to witness the background had gone back to a picture of Steven and herself hugging Lion in the middle. She went to make a quick Boogle search for the type of bird, however, when she looked back, the bird was gone. She sighed in defeat and placed the phone back on the table...only...the background had changed again. She squinted, seeing a picture of Steven standing straight in front of a wide screen TV, his back to her, with the same colour bars that lit up an obviously dark room. She muttered to herself with her heart beginning to palpitate, then looked at next to her once again...

To see that Steven was gone.

Oh _no_...

She shot up and put some light blue slippers on and scanned her entire bedroom; with a heaviness to her chest that had emerged with the anxious concern that Steven had left. But...his pink earphones were still on the bed and the only TV she could think of was downstairs. A low drone persisted in the air, instilling an aura of dread. Connie didn't acknowledge it, but it was enough for her paranoia to heighten somewhat, like she had suddenly found herself anointed Queen.

Heading downstairs to the lounge in haste, she went to see if he was still standing there. The TV was off; and the clock on the wall was ticking as Connie entered and was about to open her mouth to call his name, but he wasn't, leaving her mystified and left speechless. The living room was dark with the lamps on, only save that the TV screen randomly switched on with that horrible noise and the colour bars returning within seconds. Covering her ears, Connie didn't understand what was going on, but in the static itself she scarcely hear heavy breathing. No. She had to keep going.

Walking back a few steps as the volume was unbearable, Connie felt something hard underneath her foot.

_CRUUNNNCH!  
_

The breakage caused Connie to gasp in shock, hopping to the side and seeing something broken on the carpet. Picking them up, there were like bits of orange shards of some sort. The TV changed the channel on its own, almost giving her a heart attack as it tried to sort through bad reception. She was treated to the slow motion of falling coloured pieces of glass on a black backdrop, that were hitting the concrete ground and shattering them further. She's seen art shows before like this but...shows at this hour of the night could be weird if they weren't cop dramas or anything but...the weirder stuff usually came on about 11:30 anyway, well after Connie had hit the deck. So....

Without hesitation, Connie shut the TV off shortly after, giving her the sweet silence once more. Exhaling louder than normal, Connie took a look at the shards in her hand and nudged them with an index finger, her curiosity for their origins akin to the mind gnawing for reason. She swallowed, her chest still heavy with something chronic. Surely there was an explanation like Steven was about to get a drink but was put off by the TV and dropped his cup and ran off. Surely, that was it.

But on that note, Connie remembered that Steven was _still_ missing. Was he even still in the house? Did he go back home without bothering to say goodbye? She wanted to call Pearl to see if Steven made it home alright. Her rapidly processing mind had to somehow grasp at sensibility for it to slow down and so she became fixated on that; having decided to run back upstairs and put the shards into the pockets on her shorts.

The chill of the night had the stairs and floorboards creak as she walked. Going past the bathroom door, she stopped half way back to her room and could have sworn to heard the sink running. Maybe he was in here then? She ran back and stood in front of the door. She hit it softly several times and called for him.

"Steven, are you in there?" She asked.

Eyes dipped down as Connie waited a moment for an answer.

"Steven?"

Nothing.

Confused, Connie entered anyway.

"I'm coming in, tell me to get out now before it's too late."

Upon opening the door Connie could _immediately_ tell something was off as the blinding light faded. Wooden boarded walls, for one, To the left of the room was the bath and the sink and toilet in front of her.

This _wasn't_ the Maheswaran Bathroom, but something about it seemed awfully familiar anyway.

What ever drove Connie to head on in irregardless, had to have been the bath itself; the source of the gushing tap. She approached it with caution, taking slow, steady steps to see that there was indeed, running water. Once she got closer, she could see patches and puddles of yellow, white and blue swimming within it. Within her chest, Connie's heart was _even_ heavier with burden and despair that had emerged so suddenly she could scarcely breath herself. In some of the puddles were the images of the shards of glass no longer hitting concrete, but water.

Without warning, her right arm unconsciously reached into her pocket to get out the orange shards. Looking at them one by one, she could hear a faint chime. Something else wasn't right either; her arm had a pink sleeve when she was only wearing a white top.

She put both hands together and put the shards underwater...and then saw her reflection in the ripples. A tremendous amount of sadness clogged her throat, taking over her like overgrowing vines around her neck and caused tears to fall into the water. Strangely enough, each drop donated a pink component to the ripples. Even weirder, Connie not only saw that in some of the other colours was still her, but the pink ones had _Steven_ in them instead. 

Connie felt like she was going mad as she retreated and dropped the shards into the bath as she yanked her hands back in that split second. She looked at her arms and hands again; definitely were her own.

"I must be going out of my mind." She whispered to herself. Studying all the time was something Steven had criticised and maybe that was part of her craziness but never to this extent.

The water then started to glow...however it was beginning to glow green. She sat back, frozen in horror was a figure slowly emerged from it. It had it's back to her, but she could identify the triangular pointy hair and the short stature and the shades of green it held. A name instantly entered her failing brain.

"Peridot?" Connie said.

The Gem heard her name and tilted her head back to look at Connie...

 _That God-awful buzzing_ from before returned upon the lingering stare and her visor sharing the colour bars alongside her expressionless face. Connie made a silent gasp and covered her ears and fell into panic, then fled the bathroom and slammed it shut. This _definitely_ wasn't normal.

Leaning against the door, Connie inhaled deeply and exhaled loudly to calm down as well as her tempering her rapid heartbeat. She ran her hand from her forehead up across her hair and scalp, counting to ten in her internal dialogue. Opening her eyes, she looked up and down the hallway. Both ends had lead to darkness; while Connie could have sworn the lights were on before. She went to her right towards where her bedroom was and her head latched onto seek out her sword. Except...

The hallway wasn't normally _this_ long. She kept walking...and walking...and _walking_...but there was no door.

Looking up at the blue walls she could see numerous photos she swore weren't always there; Photos of Steven with the Gems, smiling. Photos of Steven and Connie smiling and other wholesome pictures Connie wouldn't have minded seeing if they were anywhere else but her own home. Her freak out stewed on embers as the pictures began to repeat themselves as she walked along and seem to go on and on with that repetition with no end in sight. She swallowed with the piling panic and demonising dread that was slowly taking over her with more than she could see but couldn't exactly pinpoint the moment the problems these photos were beginning to have. It took her a perhaps, a brief while, but eventually she noticed small details changing along the way.

Steven's smile turned into a frown....Connie's face being scribbled out...Gems like Pearl beginning to shed tears...Amethyst's purple shading turning orange and Garnet shrinking until she was but Ruby and Sapphire. Bismuth began to appear, but her form was going from happy to angry and all but her hair, gem and eyes turning black. Lapis was there...and eventually was replaced with a broken mirror. This was definitely getting more bizarre from moment to moment...with the frames themselves tilting and becoming uneven and the glass on some even showing cracks.

Connie had fell into a sprint as the air around her grew thick with something chronic. The photos devolved into unrecognisable smears of colours until it was nothing but paint dripping in their place. A sense of incoherence....and the words, _Too Bad_ with the drawing of a Diamond underneath in pink ink was written everywhere. Out of fear, one name still fell out, weakly, of her quivering lips:

"Steven?"

She skidded to a halt upon the visage of tire tracks, skid marks that lead into the distance. Something different, at least...until....

The sound of a car losing control and crash echoed from the opposite direction, to where the tire marks were actually leading to. These weren't there prior or she was just paying too much attention to the walls. Connie went to turn around to go in that direction, until an explosion of a blinding light caused her to shield her eyes with her arms and walk back a few paces...however, Connie had unceremoniously tripped over her own feet and fell on her hands and knees, only for the floorboards to break and for Connie to fall down endlessly in a field of darkness. The capacity to scream wasn't there like cottonballs were stuffed down her throat, preventing her from doing so. It felt like it would go on forever...

Multi-Coloured shards were falling along side her, some of them even pulsated with blinking energy. There was an off-putting sense of comfort with these broken pieces of glass all around her...and whispers that Connie could not understand. They giggled and threatened to drive her to insanity...as well as the nightingale from before flying around for some reason...like it was taunting her. So for moment or many, Connie was completely lost.

Until a hand caught her, large, wide open and soft. Stopping everything else in the emptiness of the loneliest darkness.

Looking down and around, the hand belonged to a huge body of charcoal colours and lines of lava.

Obsidian.

"Thanks?" She said, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. Why in the world were they here of all things?

Obsidian's body merged with the shadows briefly as Connie stood up...she tried to make sense of all of this. She had no idea what was going on and why. Some inter-dimensional forces looking to cause trouble, she assumed. If Obsidian was here, then they were here to help. Their hand was still out and let Connie stand on a lonesome rock as they walked backwards.

"Hey don't go!" Connie cried out reaching towards them.

"Can someone tell me what's going on? I'm a little lost."

The head disappeared into darkness briefly as Connie became desperate for clarification. She was _not_ losing her mind on this. This was some Gem with some unfinished business surely looking to mess with them...it wasn't new.

" _Please?_ "

Obsidian paused briefly with their hand the only thing Connie could really see. She felt tense and fearful of everything right now and despair would take her if it wasn't for some light in the darkness. It wasn't until Obsidian decided to emerge from the darkness, that its face was replaced...with a very displeased version of Connie's own, causing her to make a quick gasp and widen her eyes, shrinking her pupils in shock. It was the last thing Connie was expecting to witness, if at _all_.

"You're not..." Connie said, not able to comprehend the sheer madness.

"You're _not_....."

This...version of what appeared to be herself a little more than her _cosplaying_ Obsidian, was beyond what Connie would have ever imagined. She was in awe of Obsidian more than she was afraid of it. Maybe they almost squished her with their foot upon formation, but that was besides the point. Its expression, however...it wasn't as angry as Connie thought it was. It didn't feel intimidating but rather...well, the fact that they saved Connie from falling into the eternal abyss was the first indication that they weren't out to kill her. So what was the idea of its existence? Connie had little room to contemplate all the bizarre happenings thus far and that it was merely too much to think about. The next thing they did, was raise up another hand and put it parallel with the rock, revealing the Nightmarish Peridot once again and hovering her in front of Connie. No. Not _this_ again...the noise itself was unbearable as it was harsh on the ears and caused an uncomfortable tingle through out her body. Everything she had seen had begun to take their toll; tears that had formed and were rolling down her cheeks. This was too much to handle as the pain was becoming excruciating. Despite all of that, her priority, her real goal was still clear.

"Steven...where...where is he?" Connie cried through the strain.

Peridot made the slow approach towards her and raised her hand in an attempt to reach out to Connie. The young Maheswaran began to hyperventilate and walk backwards and a shift in gravity had her notice at the last possible moment that she was, in fact, on a cliffs edge.

The creepy Gem continued to get closer, trapping Connie into a corner. To take the leap to escape or to be subject to unimaginable horrors that were going to...

"What do you want?" She screamed.

"Stay back!"

It was then Peridot paused; twitching and bringing her hand back a bit.

" _She doesn't understand you_." Said a low feminine voice, loud and reverberating in numerous echoes.

That sounded like that was coming from behind Connie. Peridot remained still and watched more coloured shards drop around them like snow, glistening from an unknown light source. Connie looked all around her at this spectacular sight...knowing by now for sure, that she had dived into wonderland like Alice herself.

"I don't understand anything...I know I'm meant to but... Someone _please_ explain this to me..." Connie called out meekly, her voice cracking.

"I...I just want to help Steven..."

" _You can..._ "

Connie snapped back to Peridot...who was now holding a pink glowing bracelet. Her eyes narrowed and focused on the only thing that she could logically correlate that with. Connie went to grab it...until Peridot took it back and broke it and threw the pieces off the cliff. Connie, for what ever possessed her, ran for the parts and jumped off the cliff, despite everything, driven by the sheer impulse of saving the pieces was all that really mattered and logic itself had dived in a completely different direction. She found the pieces themselves and collected them in her hands.

For what she held was comforting and inviting and the abyss could not take that away from her. She felt horrible otherwise, but this was a beacon of hope against all else. Her mind hinged onto the singular cause of this imagery and no matter what Steven had said, Connie began to feel horrible in herself; unsure of what else she could have done.

"I'm sorry Steven." She whispered, though not in control as to why she was apologising. She knew that blaming herself wasn't going to help...but the illogicality had her question. All she knew was that he was going through a bad time but when she herself became unhinged to the point of everything seemingly impossible, she found it very difficult to help with the worst reception to his conscience.

She eventually stopped falling so fast, as so much as hovered in the unknown for some time, floating among the shards herself now while holding the reformed pink bracelet to her chest, which was glowing the brightest pink that she had ever seen. She closed her eyes and felt the worst come to her, feeling like the crystal shards were million of eyes judging her for her actions. Her mind clicked on untold concepts and imagery. The devastation harsh without really consciously knowing why. But she did know. He was reaching out to her...Steven was in fact, calling for help.

"I know what you're trying to do and it's okay. I'm here..."

 _I'm here._...

....

Opening her eyes, Connie was met with a surprising calm sight of her text book. She was back in her cosy room at home, but a bit unhinged with what she had just witnessed. Her habit had Connie looking at her phone for further potential clues; Wallpaper? Normal. The time? Still 8:31. She sighed and rubbed her eyes. What in the world...that was all a dream? Connie rubbed the sweat off of her forehead and was busy looking at a page in her text book that had a series of rainbow hued graphs. Rolling her eyes, Connie couldn't believe she was dreaming about colours and topics regarding media and the like.

So silly but...it begged the question of what it all meant. It made sense that she was indeed dreaming, but the parts that stuck out to her...and the text book itself...it mentioned the title of media, however. Connie drew connections to something she read about dreams and messages. Going to her phone, normal again, she looked up TVs in dreams. Connie was beside herself in the sheer research in dream mythologies and the like. She wasn't superstitious but after knowing Steven and the Gems, anything was possible. Her mind wanted to devour all it could, naturally, for any logical premise for which she could sitch her hunger on to.

Despite the sense in being awake, Connie subconsciously something was still missing, however, that Connie couldn't quite put her finger on. She looked to her right..the window was closed. She looked at her white fairy lights...and...no...what else was there that she forgot? The pink light on the wall? Was that always there?

Her eyes trailed to the source, to her right...to Steven....who was back on the day bed. His back was to her and he was shivering; his glow indicating he'd gone into his pink state and Connie instantly knew. She was thankful he was still there in bed at the least, but her heart was pained at the sight. He must have been having a nightmare of some sort, which was something she had to help fix, surely. Being together as Stevonnie was nothing different so she had a vantage point to work with. Not wanting him to be in anymore agony, Connie got up, went to comfort the poor soul, sat next to him and went to put her hand on his shoulder; she just had to wake him up which was simple enough...

Only for him to spin around with eyes pitch black, canines extended and scaring the living daylights out of her.

"I can't... **BE AROUND YOU RIGHT _NOW!!!_ "** He shrieked, with such ferocity that sent the hapless Connie flying out her window, breaking the glass on impact and found herself falling to the road below with a sickening thump that should have, by all rights, killed her. But it didn't...

Stunned beyond all recognition, she gazed at the night sky with widened eyes, which had suddenly gone from the dark shades of purple to cloudy and stormy. Connie struggled to move for reasons only amounting to her dwindling sanity. The nightingale flew overhead so she squeezed her eyes shut and got up off the ground, opening them and revealing the sand all around her.

The low drone increased and the silence returned; save for the crashing of waves nearby. Sitting up, it was obviously determined that she was still dreaming. How foolish of her to think otherwise.

The reality was, however, was that Steven was still angry and distraught. Connie knew this and knew he was getting help now but at this moment, it was one of the things she said she wouldn't be of afraid but she was and she didn't want to be.

Her own feelings on the ordeal were unchanged, the matter unfolding as it did. Connie still felt she could have done more to prevent this...and now he'd fallen into chaotic state once again and Connie didn't know _how_ she could possibly help him, save for giving him as much love as she had to give for him and him alone. Still, she got up. She might have been falling a lot, but she still had the power to stand, however, it took a bit of effort, getting to her two feet once again to find a solution to this apparent nightmare. It was all she could do, really. She had to. It worked before.

"Steven please tell me how I can help you?" Connie cried, curling her fingers around the fabric of her shirt.

This was like an abandoned island of sorts as opposed to Beach City or the exterior of the Temple. Just sand and waves. It wasn't Connie's responsibility to solve all his problems; something her mothers had to tell her time and time again. Her love for Steven extended beyond anyone else but the line had to be drawn somewhere; but that line had long since beem washed away. Walking through the sands she could see claw marks, massive footsteps and the like...Steven's monster. Images like scars on his troubled mind.

She could see a phone sitting there, half buried in the sand. Running over, she picked it up and suddenly it started ringing a familiar tune. Caller ID:

Connie?

How....how she was calling herself? Hesitant to answer to figure out who was really on the other line, Connie debated on how far this was going to go until she found what she was looking for. Relenting, Connie pressed the answer button and put the phone to her ear, her hand quaking with fear.

"Hello?" Connie asked. She was beyond freaked out right now and teetering on the cusp of losing herself.

No response...other than twitching feedback.

She tried again.

"Hello???"

She was expecting footsteps on the beach, a horde of marching Quartzes coming out of the water, ready for war. She was anticipating the sky to fall. The world to drown her in rising sea levels. Climate change....a big burning meteor from dreams she had in the past. No. Nothing...

And that was the scariest thing.

She checked the phone...it was still on the line to this other Connie, whom ever they were. The fact that the waves crashed as they did, the wind blowing as it did and the skies sparkling in their ocean of stars and how normally it was actually terrified Connie even more and she didn't even understand why.

What could she do? This vast place of emptiness and the ordinary. 

She sat down in the sand and put the phone to her ear again, placing her other hand on her forehead as she continued to talk.

"I don't know what you want from me." She said.

"I...know that...I know that I'm dreaming. Dreaming is an absolutely strange but totally natural stage of sleep. Everyone does it. Even animals...even Gems, so I hear."

What was she even doing?

"Why do I feel...that something is trying to reach out to me...someone. The only one that I know who connects to dreams like this is..."

Steven? He still needed her help, after all but...

"If this is Steven that I'm talking to....maybe it is but I don't know who else does this. I feel like the messages you sent me back then told me something was bothering you. And I was right."

An event still digging itself deep into her memories. Now that was a nightmare if she could ever call it one.

"And I know I'm right about this. Please trust me. I want to help but you need to let me."

A series of a footsteps in the sand came up before her. Looking to her side, it was Peridot again. This time, she didn't have that irritating noise about her, but the test colours on her visor remained.

"And Peridot is here." Connie stated.

"Peridot is here to help or..."

Wait...

"I'll call you back..."

Hanging up, Connie looked up at this version of Peridot, whom, to may with the way she was acting, was terrifying...but this was less so now that the fuzz was out of the way. She was oddly still and kept looking at Connie without saying a single word.

"You've been...who are you?" Connie questioned, trying to knuckle down on this once and for all.

Peridot lifted her head to the other side of Connie and saw a TV in the sand. She walked over and knelt down before it and turned her head at the bewildered Connie. It took her a moment, but the young woman eventually stood up and joined her...and the green Gem just kept staring at her, her focus and despite the visor obscuring her eyes, Connie could feel the stare more so. It took her a while to refocus her stare on the play button on the TV, which prompted Connie to lean over and hover her finger on it for the moment, waiting to see what Peridot would do. She didn't do anything for several seconds so Connie went on to press it anyway.

It started off as a badly recorded message with the original deafening electrical screeches, but Connie could see the tuning knobs underneath it and adjusted them to make a clearer pictures. For some reason the knobs were blue and reminded Connie of Lapis' Gem in shape.

The first thing she saw was the briefest glimpse of Rose Quartz of all people.

"Isn't it _remarkable_ , Steven? " Was the first thing she said.

Suddenly Connie found herself being entrapped in the turmoil of her own emotions. The static cut out most of what she wanted to see and hear and required her to fine tune it further.

"I can't wait for you to join them." Rose continued.

Context...context...Connie needed context. The reception was horrible or it was on an ageing tape and Connie tried as hard as she could to get the message. The next person she was able to see was...Pearl...

" ... _my_ purpose. None of it will matter anymore..."

Was this supposed to mean something? The following image had a crying Garnet covered in kittens.

" I want to love being alive."

 _Ooohkay_ , now this was too awkward for Connie's tastes, but she continued trying to understand it. Next up was a crying Amethyst...with ample amounts of screaming.

"... _remind me of everything I **HATE** ABOUT MYSELF!!!!"_

Everything else was scrambles; that Connie determined to be a mixture of Steven's memories. The things Connie didn't see...events Steven had seen throughout his life. This was the stuff he never told anyone else (maybe besides his Therapist, maybe not. Connie wasn't there to judge.)

"Steven you better not holding stuff back again." Connie said, only mildly annoyed.

"We've been through this..."

Although what shocked Connie the most was when Peridot interfered and took control of the knobs and the transmission began intersecting short cut words that were trying to make proper sentences using multiple clips.

" _my_ purpose, / remind me of everything / can't / HATE / to love being alive / MYSELF."

Connie furrowed her brows and felt something poking her leg. She looked down and saw that something was in her pocket. Pulling it out...was Jaspers Gem. The screen had Amethyst cowering in a hole.

"Go away. I'm bad, and you shouldn't be around me."

Connie shook her head.

"No Steven. I'm not going anywhere." She said, planting her hands on the sides of the TV and uncontrollable tears rolling down her face.

He still felt like this...then recalled that this had only just been a few weeks ago since she made her original declaration. Her heart ached to hold him right now. What followed was Steven crying at Kevins party, him crying in his bathroom and his intervention.

"Connie, I'm sorry... / Have I done some things wrong? Sure!"

With that, Connie seized up as the weather turned for the worst as a chill went down her spine....and the last part just kept repeating itself over and over again, even as Peridot stopped and removed herself.

"Have I done some things wrong?"

 _Aaaand_ it started making its own sentences with previously played scenes.

"Go away, / Connie...I HAVE done some things wrong? / _my_ purpose / I'm bad / remind me / _to_ HATE MYSELF."

The seas started to swell as the waves got larger and larger, with the outsider winds picking up.

"Isn't it _remarkable_? / Wrong? my purpose / Around me/ bad / Wrong?"

This was definitely bad and warping into a nightmare as Connie then looked at her hand....it was Steven's Gem now. She panicked, pleading to Peridot.

"Tell me what I need to do." Connie pleaded, shaking Peridot's shoulders.

Peridot tuned the TV one more time...

And for some reason it showed a river, nice and green...then showed the picture of Connie looking up at Steven, angry...then the Connie dressed as Obsidian sequence....then the actual Obsidian forming their hilt from the Crystal Gem weapons and the blade itself from the lava pools of their mouth; How does that help??? How does any of that help? None of this made any sense. Not that dreams ever did but there was definitely a meaning to it that Connie was trying so hard to crack down on.

The ground started to quake, Connie knowing the situation was getting dire but not _that_ quickly. Connie had to be prepared for anything.... but not for the cloudy, dark purple clouds to crack out of nowhere; the sky was literally falling (one of her expectations coming to fruition at least) and revealing the total darkness beyond it...and a certain pink kaiju behind it.

**_RYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH_ **

She was certainly not expecting _that_ either; looking like he was out for blood. This time, like Connie had seen thus far in this strange endeavour, was that this version of his monster looked a lot different. His face was a little bit more him for one, especially with his hair on it this occasion, with the crystalline horns poking through. He continued to wreak havoc, stomping through water and sands and seemingly trying to tear everything apart. Every splash created more coloured shards of glass and the world around Connie became smaller and smaller. 

Focusing on what Peridot was telling her, she was honing in on the answer. Obsidian. Something about Obsidian....the orange shards...the pink glowing bracelet...Jaspers Gem...Steven's Gem. For once she wanted to understand the metaphor and be the schmaltzy one to be able to discern it. It'd been too long since she'd read the Spirit Morph Saga, let alone any other major source of fiction.

The Greatsword? No...something about the _making_ of the sword. Something about...breaking...creating...mending... _healing._..

All Connie could logically think was that Obsidian was big, for one..so...maybe cosplaying them _was_ the solution. With that, Connie looked down at her hand and Stevens Gem had changed from pink to pitch black. If this dream was really a lucid one and it was one that she too could command in someway, then she would to take the chance in bringing her imagination as her power. So she grasped it as tight as she and squinted her eyes and once she reopened them, she could see in the reflection of the ocean that she had _become_ Obsidian, still with her own face. She clenched all eight fists then focused on the frantic Steven alone, whom was still thrashing about.

She recalled Garnets plan...but needed a distraction and ran up to Steven with Obsidian hard determination and jumped up into the air while Steven wasn't paying attention, then slammed back on the ground and wrapped all four arms around him. He struggled, just like before, but this time...

"Connie..." He croaked, his voice deep and crackly as tears began to fall.

He stopped eventually as Connie rubbed his back, mindful of the spikes.

"Hey Steven." She replied, her own voice deep as well. She felt the wells of the water around her eyes, but smiled through it.

"Having a bad dream?"

Steven pursed his lips, the nodded.

"Y-yeah...how...." He responded, downright confused.

"Oh no....I'm..."

He was trying so hard to wriggle himself out to disconnect, but Connie refused to let him go. All eight hands, thirty two fingers and eight thumbs dug into his body and held him there with all the strength Connie could muster.

"Don't apologise." She said, trying to reassure him.

"It's not your fault."

His whimpers and sniffles and slight hiccups from his crying told Connie everything she needed to know. She could see the the coloured shards falling like snow around them again, in this half shattered realm. The waves still roiled and swelled and crashed gently onto the softest shores. Where they were right now...they were still safe.

"Bu-but it is..." Steven replied, weakly.

"I dragged you into my dream...and I swore..."

Connie shook her head. She understood the weirdest things happened while he was around and she still loved the weird stuff irregardless. She only had to intervene when it started to cause him or others pain. Otherwise...

"It's my fault that I fell asleep." She said.

"I...was worried that you left and so I tried looking for you...."

She moved and tilted herself back to look a him. His maw was half-gaping and quivering, with Connie taking a hand and wiping a tear away with an index finger and flicked it away as the tears hit a few shards; healing them and turning them into 

"I haven't gone anywhere." Steven stated, looking away as his cheeks reddened.

"But my _stupid_ powers brought you into this mess... _again_....and they needed to bring you out."

The sound of his frustration in the grunt of his voice...Connie definitely could feel him fighting through it all, with all that transpired had been a result of matters of miscommunication, lack of transparency and education. None of it had ever been clear to him for as long as Connie had known him and for all he'd ever voiced his concerns about. He'd always been about fixing mistakes; including his own. He still felt horrible; not as much as he had before, but the pain lingered like an annoying friend. And Steven hardly found any of his friends to be annoying (maybe Onion and possibly Spinel, but that's about all Steven would admit and still feel bad about it.)

The fluttering of wings entered her ears as the Nightingale returned, circling the pair before it disappeared again. Steven then looked down and Connie followed his line of sight, to see the Green Gem of constancy standing there before them looking up. The world itself began to brighten and each of the shards began to glow and turn into beautiful glass statues of the Crystal Gems, Connie and his father, one by one. A beautiful sight to behold like it was its own garden of sorts of those Steven treasured dearly. There was a vision and there was the pursuit of that vision. Partially obscure but as Connie discovered, it definitely still needed fine tuning. Speaking of his powers...

One thing was on Connie's mind....and she had to wonder.

"Peridot." Connie muttered.

"You sent her?"

With the question in tow, the world itself began to feel hot with white and pink flames around them, burning ever hotter by the moment. Steven began to hyperventilate in the panic and Connie held him close to her as tight as she could to protect him. It was like the sun was crashing towards them and fear itself began to take hold once again as the everything was burnt out in an instant.

* * *

Connie gasped as her head flung up. It took her a good moment to calm down from all of that. Her phone was in front of her and she was extremely hesitant to look at it this time. She turned to Steven this time....who was now on his back, lost in his pink state and whimpering with his hands on his face in shame. Disregarding the phone, Connie honed in and sat next to him and forced him to move his hands away from his face; a gesture that turned the pinkness down to nothing, but not enough to stop him from breaking down further.

"Shhh Steven I'm here..." Connie whispered.

"Come on..."

She took one of his hands and took him up the ladder to her actual bed. Connie laid down first and ushered Steven to lay down next to her, still weeping as she took him into her arms and allowed him to cry. Steven's arms were wrapped around her, clinging on to dear life. If Connie dared to make the comparison, he was like a brick; heavy and immovable but submitted himself to her control as she had so easily moved him about without resistance. Her heart ached now...the fear itself was vanquished and replaced with her empathy and compassion. The same tools Steven's used to break even with people before...to clear the fog from their misaligned thoughts to see reason.

She felt his shivering and she was so warm to the touch and with her running her fingers through his hair, massaging scalp and the odd kiss on the head every now and then, Steven eventually melted in her arms. His breathing went back to normal, but it was still loud enough for Connie to hear that he was trying...and that was all she could really ask for. In and out...in and out...

Minutes passed as everything that was tense lessened and tranquillity returned to the room once more. Steven fought off more sleep, his eyes half lidded in battle for coherence. Connie continued to gently massage his head; her presence the only thing worth staying awake for, tenderness for tenderness. With a scrunched fist on her back, he had to give Connie the chance to understand what was going on with the best way to explain it...because she didn't deserve to be hurt like that.

"To...to answer your question from before..." He said, his voice ever so soft. Licking his lips and swallowing his own saliva, his anxiety was still high up there but the sobbing had since ceased.

"I um...I've been talking about my dreams with my Therapist....and ways to work through them."

Connie's eyes widened, surprised. It was still fascinating to hear, however. So Peridot was there on purpose. _For_ a purpose.

"She's a bit noisy...you might want to tell her to tone down." Connie joked.

Steven's emerging smile and warmth translated well to her; music to her hears.

"Sorry about that." He said with awkward, weakened laughter.

"I'll uh...I'll tell her. It's not actually her though...so she's not as chatty as the real thing...."

Connie figured as much. But still, it was impressive.

"What about Obsidian?" Connie queried. She had her suspicions but wanted to respect Stevens eventual answer anyway.

And the fact it had her face? Steven inhaled deeply before answering that one.

"Um...not actually sure..." He said.

"If Peridot said....if she said that we needed Obsidian for something...then it's proof that this is working then...."

If by said then by looking at Connie with a blank expression who had the power to pinpoint and tune signals then...

Ah...

"I'm glad." She said, smiling with relief. 

Maybe he won't answer all of her questions...but she figured that was okay. What ever he was comfortable with revealing was fine by her. So long as he didn't attempt to lie...

"But yeah...sorry if I scared you...that last session I had was a heavy one so I..."

" _Shhhh..._ " Connie said, putting a finger to his mouth. His tone was getting higher and he was going to wail to her again for revealing too much. He's done this enough times that Connie knows the signs and tries to stop him from going further.

"You don't have to tell me...just...relax for me...please."

That's all Connie really wanted and that's why he was here to begin with. So he would have no obligation to say anything that would bring him mass amounts of discomfort. She didn't mind him confiding in her, only that he only did it under his own volition and not a compulsory expulsion of his heavier problems. The Storyboarder would warn against rushing things and The Glassmaker took precious time with the repairs, didn't they? It had to be clear, concise and certain that it had to be shared with the right amount of adjustment made, like the satellites were aligned for the perfect reception.

She felt Steven shift and groan to get comfortable as he ended up loosening his grip, his right arm limp across her body. They were silent for a few minutes more which was fine. They were warm, safe but exhausted beyond anything else. Hearing his breathing let Connie know he hadn't gone anywhere as she was zoning in and out of consciousness herself. If they were to succumb to fatigue once again, Connie had to be more prepared this time. Looking out the window, unbroken, she was more hopeful that now Steven was able to better fight back against that which would have him yanked back into despair. Better dreams one would never want to wake from, as a result of the stronger connections he had with others. So Connie made the daring question.

"Do you want to go back to sleep?"

She got her answer through his eventual snores. From what Connie had researched out of her own curious drive for odd phenomena, Dreams were funny things that science explained as involuntary processes the mind undertakes as it slept. Influences from the outside world would help shape the inner worlds created and people would believe would the only place the subconscious would be able to reach them with, oddly incoherent messages that are never always obvious. Not always fogged, but just through events that never seemed to make any sense at first glance. Nightmares more so. Connie couldn't help but fall asleep again herself, suspecting she would be joining Steven where ever he was very soon.

"We...should....thank Peridot..." She said, yawning as she closed her eyes...

Shortly after, Connie's phone on the desk vibrated; showing a picture from behind Steven and Connie on the Beach with Lion, on a bright, sunny day.

With the Nightingale with the green patch on its head, flying above, over-watching them.

**Author's Note:**

> Twine = SU version of Vine.


End file.
